Refrigerator-showcase



RI E. OTTENHEIMER.

REFRIGERATOR SHOWCASE. APPLICATION FILED MAILZS. 1921.

1,390,812. PatentedSept. 13, 1921.

J /a L9 A /NVENTH UNITED .STATES BEUBEN E. OTTENHEIIEB, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

BEFRIGERATOR-SHOWCABE.

Specication of Letters Patent. lPatented Sept. 13, 192L Application filed March 29, 1921. Serial No. 456,772.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RnUnN E. O'i'rniwl Human, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore city, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Refi-igerator-Showcases, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to refrigerator show cases, and its object is to provide a show case of this kind having two display chambers or compartments for meats and other perishable commodities, and provid with a novel and improved system of circulation, and, furthermore, to generally improve the structure of the case so as to make it easier for persons standing in front of the same to see the commodities on display therein, and also to effect an. easy and vconvenient handling by the vender.

' With the objects stated in view, the invention consists in a combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed, and in order that the same may be better understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification.

n the drawing,

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a fragment of the show case, and Fig. 2 is a cross section thereof.

Referring specifically to the drawing, the show case has two display compartments or chambers denoted by the reference characters 5 and 6, respectively, and two ice corn-l pertinents 7 and 8, respectively.

The displa compartment 5 has front and top glass wa ls 9 and 10, and its rear walls are slidable windows 11 through which access to its interior may be had. The end walls 12 of the compartment are also glazed.

The display compartment 6 is below the compartment 5, and it has front and end glass walls 13 and 14, respectively, an in sulated bottom 15, and a rear part provided with doors 16.

Between the-compartments 5 and 6 is a horizontal partition 17 dividing the same and forming the floor of the ice compartments 7 and 8.

The depth of the bottom compartment 6, or its dimension from the front to the rear, is somewhat greater than that of the top compartment 5, so as to locate the ice compartment 8 to the rear of the top compara ment 5, and also above the rear portion of the bottom compartment 6, whereas the ice compartment 7 is located between the two display compartments, as clearly shown in Fie. 2 of the drawing. i

`he front wall of the ice compartment 8 is composed of a baille board 18 which runs the full length of `the case, and the rear wall 19 of the case, above the doors l'forms the rear Wall of the compartment, whereas the top thereof is a hinged cover 20. Spaced inwardly from the rear wall 19 of the compartment 8 is a vertical partition 21 extending throughout the entire length of the case, and rising from the Hoor 17. This partition is spaced at the top from the top of the com partment 8 to provide a warm air duct 22 leading from the top rear portion of the compartment 6 into the top portion of the ice compartment 8. Above the upper end of this duct is a guard strip 23 to prevent ice, or foreign matter from falling into the duct and clogging the same or dropping into the compartment 6.

The ice compartment 7 is designed to contain a supply of cracked ice which is spread evenly throughout the entire length of the case.

On the fioor 17 seats a pan24 extending from end to end of the case and into both ice compartments 7 and 8, the ice being supported by this pan.

At the front of the ice compartment 7 is a cold'air duct 25 leading into the compartment 6, and above this duct is a guard strip 26 for the same purpose as the guard strip 23 hereinbefore referred to. It will also be noted in Fig. 2 that the strip 26 has an inward slant, and it supports the forward lower end of a sloping and removable Shelf 27 which lforms the article supporting bottom of the compartment 5, the rear edge of the shelf being supported by a ledge 28 on the baille board 18 at the bottom thereof.`

For the purpose of facilitating dralnage of the pan 24, ay drain trap 29 is provided,

-the same being placed in a utter 30 at the lower end of the pan, the oor 17 and the pan having a forward slope. This trap 1s so constructed that dirt or foreign matter will not enter and clog up the drain pipe 31 leading therefrom through the compartment 6 to the floor trap 32 which latter is watersealed as usual to prevent the outfiow of cold air and the influx of noxious gases or odors. On the floor 17 of compartment 6 1S a way of the duct 22.

slatted rack 33 for supporting the commodities to be displayed, and also to permit the filtration of the cold air currents around and under the same.

The shelf 27 is slotted to permit the cold air to pass through the same into the compartment 5.

Inasmuch ascold air will be more accelerated in its motion down an inclined plane, the ice compartment 7 between the display compartments 5 and 6 is inclined forwardly in the direction of the duct. 25. The intensified flow of cold air'thus produced prevents any warm air pockets being formed between the display compartments as would be the case it the ice compartment were without a slant. Thisialso aids in producing a uniform flow of cold air, thus creating a constant temperature throughout both display compartments.

The ice compartment 7 is in open communication `at the rear with the ice compartment 8 through the space between the pan 24 and the bottom edge of the battle board 18, and hence the cold air escapes from the compartment 8 into the compartment 7, in which latter it passes over the surface of the ice or other refrigerant, which latter is maintained at such a height that it is spaced from the shelf 27. The cold air escapes through the duct 25 into the bottom display compartment 6, and'returns at a higher temperature to the top of the ice compartment 8 by the It will be noted that the duct 22 is 'longer than the duct 25, in view of which it will be evident that the rate of circulation of the cold air in the compartment 6 is accelerated.

All parts'of the vcase exposed to the outside alr and not constructed of glass, are made up of insulated wood sections. The

case is also constructed so that the entire upper part can be removed to permit the case to be handled in two sections.

All front and end glass walls are constructed of double panes to prevent sweating and a clear view therethrough. The top 10 of the compartment 5 is composed of a single pane of plate glass, two panes not being necessary here as the cold air does not rise as high as the top of the compartment, and hence the pane l() is not liable to sweating to obstruct a clear view ot the contents oi the compartment. The same is true ot the rear windows 11. Tests have Shown that the cold air in the compartment 5 does not rise therein to a greater height than the top ot the balile board 18, and hence the opening and closing ot' the windows 11 also will not affect the efiiciency of the air circulation through thecompartments 5 and G.

I claim:

A refrigerator show-case having upper and lower display-compartments and a refrigerant-compartment therebetween having, toward its front, a restricted water-outlet to said lower compartment, the bottom of said refrigerant-chamber being downwardly inclined to said outlet, a removable, toraminous shelf disposed above the front portion of said bottom and inclined correspondingly thereto, a vertical partition between the rear end of said shelf and the top ot said refrigerant-chamber, and having an air-circulation opening at its top, affording communication between the upper chamber. and said refrigerant-chamber at the rear of the latter, said refrigerant-chamber having air-circulation passages at its front and rear communicating with said lower compartment.

In testimonv'whereof I aiix my si nature.

REUBEN E. OTTENHEI En. 

